Alpha AM-7000 User manual

DSM-00220-00
AM-7000
Computer Owner's
Manual
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© 2000 ALPHA MICROSYSTEMS
FIRST EDITION: May 2000
To re-order this document, request part number DSO-00220-00
FCC Notice
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a
commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in
accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a
residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own
expense.
Canadian Department of Communications Compliance Statement
This equipment does not exceed Class A limits per radio noise emissions for digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference
Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications. Operation in a residential area may cause unacceptable interference to
radio and TV reception requiring the owner or operator to take whatever steps are necessary to correct the interference.
Avis de Conformité aux Normes du Ministère des Communications du Canada
Cet équipment ne deapsse pas les limits de Classe A d'émission de bruits radioélectriques pour les appareils numeriques tels que
prescrites par le Règlement sur le brouillage radioélectrique établi par le ministère des Communications du Canada. L'exploitation faite
en milleu résidential peut entrainer le brouillage des réceptions radio et tele, ce qui obligerait le propriétaire ou l'opératour à pendre les
dispositions nécessaires pour en éliminer les causes.
Battery Warning
CAUTION: Danger of explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced. Replace only with the same or equivalent type recommended by the
manufacturer. Discard used batteries according to the manufacturer's instructions.
ATTENTION: Il y a danger d'explosion s'il y a replacement incorrect de la batterie. Remplacer uniquement avec une batterie du même
type ou d'un type recommandé par le constructeur. Mettre au rébut les batteries usagées conformément aux instructions du fabricant.
For AM-3500-E100, -E200, -E300, -E400, -E500 and AM-990-01 systems replace battery with Panasonic or Ray-O-Vac BR2325 only.
For AM-3500-E550, AM-3500-6000, AM-3500-7000, and AM-990-04 systems, replace batteries with Panasonic or Ray-O-Vac BR1225
only. Use of other batteries may present a risk of fire or explosion. Replacement batteries may be ordered from your authorized Alpha
Micro reseller.
Safety Warning
This computer contains no user-configurable components that require opening the computer case. Because the power supply in this
computer is capable of outputting high current levels hazardous to your safety, the computer case should only be opened by an
authorized service technician.
Cet ordinateur ne contient aucune pièce configurable par l’utilisateur qui nécessite l’ouverture du boitier. L’alimentation de cet
ordinateur peut preduire des nivaeux de tensions dangereux, le boitier ne devrait donc être ouvert que par un technician autoriaé.
SOFTWARE SECURITY DEVICE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER: _________________
The Alpha Micro Software Security Device (SSD) is a customized integrated circuit that personalizes the computer, providing identity
verification for it. Certain Alpha Micro and non-Alpha Micro software may require that your computer contain an SSD in order to run
software that has been customized to run only on your computer.
Please enter the identification of your SSD above. The SSD identification number should be on your computer ID label under "SSD
Serial No." (Another way of finding the number is to look at the SSD itself. The SSD is located in an integrated circuit location on the
CPU board; its identification number is printed on the SSD itself.) Software vendors may ask you for the SSD number if they are
customizing software to run only on your computer.
This document may contain references to products covered under the following U.S. Patent Number(s): 4,530,048
ALPHA MICROSYSTEMS
2722 Fairview Street
Santa Ana, CA 92704

AM-7000 Computer Owner's Manual, Rev. 00
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1 -INTRODUCING THE AM-7000 COMPUTER.......................................................1-1
ABOUT THIS BOOK ......................................................................................................................1-2
Graphics Conventions ...................................................................................................................1-2
SYSTEM FEATURES.....................................................................................................................1-3
AM-319-20 System Board ............................................................................................................1-3
AM-176-10 Board ........................................................................................................................1-4
Processor......................................................................................................................................1-4
Memory........................................................................................................................................1-4
Cache Memory..............................................................................................................................1-4
CMOS Menu Setup.......................................................................................................................1-4
SCSI Configuration.......................................................................................................................1-5
SCSI Dispatcher Software.............................................................................................................1-7
Serial I/O Capability.....................................................................................................................1-8
Four High-Speed Parallel Printer Ports..........................................................................................1-8
Network Hardware........................................................................................................................1-9
UPS Monitoring............................................................................................................................1-9
Front Panel Status Display..........................................................................................................1-10
Real Time Clock.........................................................................................................................1-10
Rear I/O Panel............................................................................................................................1-10
Add-On Equipment .....................................................................................................................1-10
SOFTWARE FEATURES..............................................................................................................1-10
SERVICE INFORMATION...........................................................................................................1-11
For Further Assistance................................................................................................................1-12
CHAPTER 2 -INSTALLATION.......................................................................................................2-1
UNPACKING GUIDELINES...........................................................................................................2-1
What You Will Need.....................................................................................................................2-1
Reporting Shipping Damage..........................................................................................................2-2
Instructions for Reshipping the Computer......................................................................................2-2
RECORDING THE SSD IDENTIFICATION NUMBER.................................................................2-2
OVERVIEW OF INSTALLATION PROCEDURES........................................................................2-3
Front Panel Controls and Indicators...............................................................................................2-3
AM-7000 Rear I/O Panel Configurations.......................................................................................2-4
PREPARING THE SITE..................................................................................................................2-6
Physical Requirements ..................................................................................................................2-6
Environmental Requirements.........................................................................................................2-6
Environmental Specifications.........................................................................................................2-7
Static Electricity and Grounding....................................................................................................2-7
POWER AND CABLE CONNECTIONS.........................................................................................2-7
Power Supply AC Voltage and Receptacle.....................................................................................2-8

Page ii Table of Contents
AM-7000 Computer Owner's Manual, Rev. 00
Verifying Voltage Compatibility....................................................................................................2-8
Turning the Computer On..............................................................................................................2-9
INSTALLING THE OPERATOR TERMINAL................................................................................2-9
Setting the Terminal's Baud Rate and Parameters.........................................................................2-10
Connecting the Cable ..................................................................................................................2-10
INITIAL TESTING........................................................................................................................2-11
BOOTING UP UNDER AMOS......................................................................................................2-11
INSTALLING ALPHA MICRO SOFTWARE...............................................................................2-11
THE WARM BOOT MONITOR....................................................................................................2-12
TURNING THE COMPUTER OFF...............................................................................................2-12
EXPANDING YOUR COMPUTER...............................................................................................2-13
GETTING ASSISTANCE..............................................................................................................2-13
CHAPTER 3 -GETTING STARTED................................................................................................3-1
BOOTING THE COMPUTER.........................................................................................................3-1
AM-7000 FLASH MEMORY BOOTING OPTION..........................................................................3-2
AM-7000 CMOS SETUP PROCEDURE .........................................................................................3-2
AM-7000 Initialization Routine.....................................................................................................3-2
CMOS Menu Options ...................................................................................................................3-2
Saving the CMOS Settings............................................................................................................3-5
Important Note..............................................................................................................................3-5
DEVICE NAMES ............................................................................................................................3-5
The System Disk...........................................................................................................................3-6
DISK ACCOUNTS ..........................................................................................................................3-7
LOGGING ON.................................................................................................................................3-8
THE TERMINAL KEYBOARD ......................................................................................................3-8
Correcting Typing Mistakes ..........................................................................................................3-9
A WORD ABOUT DISKETTES....................................................................................................3-10
Using Diskettes...........................................................................................................................3-11
Mounting Diskettes.....................................................................................................................3-12
ABOUT STREAMING TAPE........................................................................................................3-12
Tape Capacity.............................................................................................................................3-13
¼" Tape Drive Read/Write Compatibility....................................................................................3-13
Loading and Unloading Tape Cartridges......................................................................................3-14
USING A DAT DRIVE..................................................................................................................3-14
CHAPTER 4 -WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?..........................................................................4-1
INTRODUCTION TO AMOS SOFTWARE....................................................................................4-1
The Operating System, AMOS......................................................................................................4-1
Programming Languages...............................................................................................................4-1
Networking...................................................................................................................................4-1
Text Preparation...........................................................................................................................4-2
Utility Programs............................................................................................................................4-2
Application Programs....................................................................................................................4-2
Office Information Products..........................................................................................................4-2
ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION...............................................................................................4-3

Table of Contents Page iii
AM-7000 Computer Owner's Manual, Rev. 00
"I Want To Start At The Beginning"..............................................................................................4-3
"I Want To Learn How To Maintain My Computer"......................................................................4-3
"I Want To Do Text Processing"...................................................................................................4-4
"I Want To Write Computer Programs".........................................................................................4-4
CHAPTER 5 -SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION.................................................................................5-1
BACKING UP YOUR DATA ..........................................................................................................5-1
DISK ACCOUNTS ..........................................................................................................................5-2
Passwords.....................................................................................................................................5-2
Organizing the Disk ......................................................................................................................5-2
Adding New Accounts...................................................................................................................5-3
MODIFYING THE SYSTEM INITIALIZATION FILE...................................................................5-4
Defining the AM-7000 Parallel Ports.............................................................................................5-5
Adding Jobs..................................................................................................................................5-6
Changing User Memory ................................................................................................................5-7
ANALYZING THE DISK................................................................................................................5-8
The REDALL Command...............................................................................................................5-9
The DSKANA Command..............................................................................................................5-9
DSKANA Options......................................................................................................................5-10
The CHECK Option and Automatic Backups ..............................................................................5-11
FORMATTING AND INITIALIZING THE HARD DRIVE ..........................................................5-11
FORMATTING AND INITIALIZING A DISKETTE....................................................................5-12
NETWORK STATISTICS.............................................................................................................5-13
CHAPTER 6 -PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE .............................................................................6-1
DISKETTES....................................................................................................................................6-1
CARE OF STREAMING TAPE AND DAT CARTRIDGES............................................................6-1
DISKETTE DRIVE..........................................................................................................................6-2
¼" STREAMING TAPE DRIVE CLEANING .................................................................................6-2
DAT DRIVE CLEANING................................................................................................................6-2
MAIN ENCLOSURE.......................................................................................................................6-3
CHAPTER 7 -TROUBLESHOOTING PROCEDURES..................................................................7-1
THE SYMPTOMS...........................................................................................................................7-1
THE TROUBLESHOOTING PROCEDURES.................................................................................7-2
Procedure #1: Check Power/Run/Memory Lights...........................................................................7-2
Procedure #2: Check the Computer Status Codes...........................................................................7-4
Procedure #3: Powerup/Reset........................................................................................................7-5
Procedure #4: Check Terminal/Printer...........................................................................................7-6
Procedure #5: Self Test.................................................................................................................7-8
Procedure #6: Alternate Boot.......................................................................................................7-10
CHAPTER 8 -STATUS DISPLAY CODES......................................................................................8-1
FRONT PANEL STATUS DISPLAY CODES.................................................................................8-1

Page iv Table of Contents
AM-7000 Computer Owner's Manual, Rev. 00
SELF TEST FEATURE...................................................................................................................8-6
APPENDIX A -CONNECTOR CONFIGURATIONS ....................................................................A-1
SERIAL I/O CONNECTORS..........................................................................................................A-1
WHAT IS RS-232? ......................................................................................................................... A-1
IMPORTANT NOTE......................................................................................................................A-2
CABLE CONSTRUCTION GUIDELINES..................................................................................... A-2
Cable Length................................................................................................................................A-2
Cable Type..................................................................................................................................A-2
Cable Shielding............................................................................................................................A-3
RS-232 DB-9 CONNECTOR SIGNALS.........................................................................................A-4
RS-232 DB-9 to DB-25 Terminal Cables .....................................................................................A-4
Workstation Connection Cables....................................................................................................A-6
RS-232 RJ-45 TO DB-25 CABLES FOR TERMINALS AND PRINTERS.....................................A-7
PARALLEL PRINTER PORTS......................................................................................................A-8
AM-7000 UPS STATUS PORT ......................................................................................................A-9
ETHERNET RJ-45 10 AND 10 / 100 BASET CONNECTOR ........................................................A-9
10/100BaseT Topology and Cabling.............................................................................................A-9
APPENDIX B -THE CONTROL CHARACTERS.......................................................................... B-1
APPENDIX C -SUPER I/O...............................................................................................................C-1
DISABLING SUPER I/O................................................................................................................ C-1
Disabling Super I/O on All I/O Boards......................................................................................... C-1
Disabling Super I/O on Individual AM-359 Boards....................................................................... C-2
APPENDIX D -SCSI TERMINATION............................................................................................D-1
SCSI TERMINATION USING EXTERNAL TERMINATOR OPTION.........................................D-1
ATTACHING EXTERNAL DEVICES...........................................................................................D-2
TERMINATOR POWER................................................................................................................D-2
APPENDIX E -READ-AHEAD AND WRITE BUFFERING ......................................................... E-1
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................E-1
READ-AHEAD................................................................................................................................E-1
Controlling Read-Ahead................................................................................................................E-2
WRITE BUFFERING ......................................................................................................................E-2
Potential Pitfalls............................................................................................................................E-3
Setting Up Write Buffering............................................................................................................E-3
FINAL NOTES................................................................................................................................E-4
APPENDIX F -BOOT MESSAGES..................................................................................................F-1

Table of Contents Page v
AM-7000 Computer Owner's Manual, Rev. 00
APPENDIX G -FLASH MEMORY BOOTING OPTION DETAILS............................................G-1
FLASH MEMORY ORGANIZATION............................................................................................G-1
FLASH MEMORY OPERATION...................................................................................................G-1
BOOTING FROM THE AM-7000 FLASH MEMORY...................................................................G-2
STANDARD AM7000.INI CONTENTS.........................................................................................G-2
ENHANCING FLASH MEMORY CONTENTS.............................................................................G-3
File NETWRK.............................................................................................................................G-3
File RESOLV. .............................................................................................................................G-3
File CONFIG. (optional)..............................................................................................................G-3
FLASH MEMORY CONTENTS ....................................................................................................G-3
Monitors......................................................................................................................................G-3
INIs.............................................................................................................................................G-3
Device drivers for the following:...................................................................................................G-4
FLUTIL SOFTWARE UTILITY.....................................................................................................G-4
Flash memory Update...................................................................................................................G-4
APPENDIX H -STANDARD FLASH & DISK INIS.......................................................................H-1
HARD DISK INI FILES..................................................................................................................H-1
AM7000.INI................................................................................................................................H-1
AMOS32.INI...............................................................................................................................H-2
FLASH DISK INI FILES................................................................................................................H-4
SINGLE INI................................................................................................................................H-4
AM-7000 INI...............................................................................................................................H-4
AMOS32.INI...............................................................................................................................H-5

AM-7000 Computer Owner's Manual, Rev. 00
List of Illustrations
Figure 1-1: AM-7000 in Deskside Chassis............................................................................................1-1
Figure 2-1: Front Panel Controls and Indicators (deskside chassis).......................................................2-4
Figure 2-3: AM-7000 Rear Panel Configuration (Deskside Chassis).....................................................2-5
Figure 2-5: AM-7000 Boot Port Location...........................................................................................2-10
Figure 3-1: 3.5" Diskette....................................................................................................................3-11
Figure 3-2: Inserting a 3.5" Diskette...................................................................................................3-12
Figure 3-3: DAT Tape Drive. .............................................................................................................3-15
Figure A-1: Shielding a Cable.............................................................................................................A-3
Figure D-1: Active External Terminator Installation............................................................................D-1
Figure G-1: AM-7000 Flash Boot Memory Map .................................................................................G-1
List ofTables
Table 1-1: Graphics Conventions..........................................................................................................1-3
Table 1-2: Dispatcher Switch Table......................................................................................................1-8
Table 2-1: Environmental Specifications..............................................................................................2-7
Table 3-1: Special Function Keys on the Terminal Keyboard ...............................................................3-9
Table 3-2: Supported ¼" Streamer Data Cartridges.............................................................................3-13
Table 7-1: Self Test Checker (1)...........................................................................................................7-9
Table 7-2: Self Test Checker (2).........................................................................................................7-10
Table 8-1: Front Panel Status Codes.....................................................................................................8-2
Table A-1: Rear Panel DB-9 Connector Signals ..................................................................................A-4
Table A-2: Pinouts for RS-232 Terminal-to-Computer Cables.............................................................A-5
Table A-3: Pinouts for Workstation to Computer Cable - IBM PC/AT and Compatibles .....................A-6
Table A-4: Pinouts for Workstation to Computer Cable - IBM PC/XT and Compatibles .....................A-6
Table A-5: RS-232 RJ-45 to DB-25 Connector Signals .......................................................................A-7
Table A-6: Centronics Interface Cabling Signal Pinouts ......................................................................A-8
Table A-7: AM-7000 UPS Status Port Signal Pinouts ........................................................................A-9
Table A-8: 10/100BaseT (RJ-45) Connector Signals..........................................................................A-10

AM-7000 Computer Owner's Manual, Rev. 00
Chapter 1 - Introducing the
AM-7000 Computer
The Alpha Microsystems AM-7000 is a high-performance computer designed for a wide range of
applications in business headquarters, departmental facilities, and professional offices. With power to
support many users simultaneously, in local or networked configurations, the AM-7000 lends itself to
virtually any business data processing environment.
The AM-7000 is constructed in modular fashion. Your organization can start with just the features and
capacity needed, then expand the system as processing demands increase. The system can be field
upgraded to provide more disk storage, memory, and tape backup capacity; to add more local
cable-connected terminals and printers; to exchange data over a local area network with personal
computers and other data processing systems; and to communicate through modems with remote data
centers.
The AM-7000, shown in Figure 1-1 below, is housed in a compact enclosure that fits neatly next to a
desk.
Figure 1-1: AM-7000 in Deskside Chassis

Page 1-2 Chapter One
AM-7000 Computer Owner's Manual, Rev. 00
For configurations requiring more peripheral devices and /or more serial input/output connections, the
AM-3501 is available as an expansion unit to the AM-7000, providing expansion capability in a
matching deskside enclosure.
ABOUT THIS BOOK
The purpose of this book is to get you started with your computer. After you've followed the instructions
in this book, your computer will be set up and running. And, you will have a good idea of where to go
next for information on the software you want to use.
•This chapter contains a software and hardware overview of your system. It also discusses the
configurations available, as well as warranty and service information.
•Chapter 2 tells you how to unpack and set up your computer. It also contains information on
choosing an installation site.
•Chapter 3 discusses turning on and resetting the computer, using the terminal keyboard,
diskettes, streamer tape, DAT tape, and turning the computer off.
•Chapter 4 is an overview of the various software available for your computer, and lists the Alpha
Micro documentation you can order to learn more about each subject.
•Chapter 5 discusses the use of some computer maintenance utility programs. It shows how to
allocate system resources by entering the system initialization file commands to set up terminals
and jobs for multi-user operation.
•Chapter 6 contains information on the caring for your computer.
•Chapter 7 is a handbook of troubleshooting procedures you can follow to isolate a problem
should something go wrong with your computer.
•Chapter 8 lists the computer status codes you may see on the front panel display.
•Several appendices contain technical information, including instructions for cable construction
and installation.
The AM-7000 Service Manual contains additional information on opening and configuring your
computer. The service manual is intended for authorized technical personnel only.
Graphics Conventions
Like other documents in the Alpha Micro documentation library, this book contains a number of standard
symbols to make our text easier to read and understand.